Chi Han spent the whole day in bed, enjoying the treatment of an emperor.
He didn’t need to lift a finger to eat or bathe. Before he even said he was thirsty, a cup was already at his lips.
At first, Chi Han felt awkward about it, but he quickly got used to it.
Rong Xu was more than willing to do these things; even back when his leg hadn’t healed, he had hoped for the day he could care for Chi Han like this.
Seeing Chi Han’s body marked entirely by traces he’d left, dressing him in clothes he himself had picked and put on, Rong Xu reached out to wipe the water from Chi Han’s lips, his heart full of quiet contentment.
Chi Han stayed holed up in the room all day, and Rong Xu stayed by his side the whole time.
After applying medicine around ten, Rong Xu turned off the bedside lamp, pulled him into his arms, kissed him gently, and whispered, “Sleep now.”
Although Chi Han’s mind wasn’t tired, his body was, and he soon drifted off.
Then…
Then he woke up at three in the morning.
Chi Han: “……”
Lying on his side with his eyes wide open like a vigilant owl, he’d been awake for half an hour already, and sleep was nowhere in sight.
He could feel warm breath on the back of his neck. Rong Xu always liked pressing his face there when sleeping.
Chi Han tried to sync his breathing with Rong Xu’s, closed his eyes, and tried to lull himself back into slumber. But after fifteen minutes, it was clearly a failure. He was thirsty.
He’d been unconsciously shouting all night, and now his voice was hoarse.
The water cup was on the nightstand on Rong Xu’s side, just out of reach. No matter how he stretched, he couldn’t get to it.
Chi Han moved with the utmost care, afraid of waking Rong Xu. He’d spent the entire day resting, while Rong Xu hadn’t slept a wink, tending to him nonstop.
As he propped up his upper body, Chi Han realized both his legs were pinned beneath Rong Xu’s, tangled together so tightly he couldn’t pull free.
Chi Han: “……”
Left with no choice, he carefully turned over, leaning over Rong Xu’s shoulder and reaching for the cup. His fingertips just barely touched the smooth glass.
But the cup was handleless. After struggling for quite a while without managing a sip, he ended up sweaty and even thirstier.
He paused to catch his breath and rallied for another attempt.
On his second try, his supporting hand slipped, and his entire weight came down, flattening Rong Xu from his side-lying position onto his back.
Chi Han instinctively reached out to steady himself, and his palm landed directly… somewhere.
Frozen atop Rong Xu’s chest, his mind went utterly blank for a beat. Then he played dead.
He felt the man beneath him first reach up to gently brush his forehead. Then a slight movement, and the room’s light flicked on.
“Chi Han?”
The voice was husky with sleep, a soft rasp curling around his name. A warm fingertip gently nudged his eyelid once, twice.
It tickled so much that Chi Han couldn’t help but open his eyes, only to meet Rong Xu’s half-lidded gaze.
“Did you have a nightmare?”
Rong Xu pulled him up slightly and gave his back a light pat, showing not the slightest trace of annoyance at being woken in the middle of the night.
Chi Han bit his lower lip, a little embarrassed. “I slept too much during the day,” he admitted. “I got a bit thirsty just now. While reaching for the cup, I accidentally woke you.”
He rubbed the tip of his nose, apologetic. “Sorry, Rong Xu. Turn off the light and go back to sleep. I won’t move again.”
Rong Xu listened, a slight furrow forming between his brows, shadows pooling deep in his gaze.
He leaned back against the headboard, calmly poured a cup of warm water from the kettle, and handed it to Chi Han.
Not wanting to delay Rong Xu’s rest, Chi Han downed most of the water in one go. He set the cup back down, lifted the covers, and was about to slide back under when Rong Xu reached out and caught his chin.
Chi Han looked up, puzzled, following the gentle pressure, only to meet a pair of eyes entirely devoid of amusement.
They were the kind of eyes that made your heart falter. But still, irresistibly, made you want to fall.
“No apologizing to me,” Rong Xu said, lips faintly curved. He brushed Chi Han’s lower lip with the pad of his thumb, then pressed down on a small, scabbed-over wound, eliciting a twinge of pain. “Or I’ll tie you to the bed and forbid you from getting up.”
Chi Han blinked, realizing after a few seconds that Rong Xu was upset because he was treating him too distantly.
Despite the rather ominous expression Rong Xu wore—dark and a little dangerous—Chi Han wasn’t the least bit scared.
He gave two sheepish chuckles, nipped lightly at Rong Xu’s fingertip, and said with a smile, “Got it. I won’t say that again.”
Rong Xu’s expression softened. With leisurely ease, he turned off the light, then rolled over, covering Chi Han with his body.
Chi Han, arms pinned by his ears, was full of question marks.
Weren’t they supposed to be sleeping?
What is he trying to do now?
Rong Xu slowly pressed down, lightly pecked Chi Han’s Adam’s apple, then lowered his head and kissed it. As their lips and tongues brushed together, he murmured softly, “I’m thirsty, too…”
With Rong Xu’s passionate “assistance”, Chi Han soon fell asleep, perfectly solving the problem of his insomnia.
…
The assistant moved quickly and completed the discharge procedures in no time.
The two of them went around the city, enjoying themselves, and eventually ended up on the snowy mountains to ski.
Although the ski resort was just a small section fenced off at the foot of the mountain, looking out into the distance—at the endless, undulating range of eternal snow-covered peaks—still evoked a natural sense of awe.
Rong Xu learned quickly and got the hang of it in no time. Chi Han, after falling a few times, managed to slide decently as well, looking like he was getting the hang of it.
There were photographers and videographers at the ski resort. Chi Han carefully kept both the photos and the videos.
These were precious memories with Rong Xu. He was definitely going to display them by the bedside once they got home.
With a major burden in his heart resolved, Chi Han had been enjoying himself thoroughly over the past few days.
Finally, the day came for the two of them to return to their home country.
When they arrived, their bags hadn’t held much, but on the way back, they had several extra packages.
Chi Han stared at the several large parcels in the room, falling into deep thought.
Did he really buy that many things?
“No worries. Have the assistant send all of this to the airport for express air shipment. I’ll make sure everything gets back with you,” Rong Xu said as he watched Chi Han standing hands-on-hips in front of the parcels, mistaking him for fretting about how to take them all home. He wrapped his arms around him from behind, kissed him, and murmured, “When the new semester starts, why don’t you move in with me again?”
Chi Han gave him a sidelong glance. “Then I’ll never be able to get up in the mornings.”
Rong Xu chuckled. “Then we’ll just go to bed earlier at night.”
Chi Han: “???”
As if he hadn’t caught the double meaning in those words!
Rong Xu let him grumble, hugging him tighter with a smile. In the end, Chi Han agreed to move out of the dorm.
The tips of his ears flushed a little because deep down, he really did love being with Rong Xu.
Just before they left, Rong Xu’s phone buzzed. A message popped up on the screen.
His eyes lowered for a glance. Instantly, his expression turned cold and serious.
The message was from Song Yao.
Song Yao: [Rong Xu, just got word. The old master of the Fang family passed away this morning. Fang Jingluo might start fighting for the inheritance soon.]
Chi Han immediately sensed the shift in Rong Xu’s mood. He turned to him, eyes filled with concern.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Rong Xu gave a faint smile, reining in every trace of emotion, except for the warmth still lingering in his gaze.
“It’s nothing.”
Only now… he had both hands free to crush anyone who dared lay a finger on Chi Han.
